Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Wednesday 16 June

Holyrood

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what is the current estimate of cancelling the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.

Sir David Steel: It is estimated that cost penalties of around £14 million would be incurred if the Holyrood Project were to be cancelled. Some of this might be recouped if the vacant site could later be sold.

Holyrood

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what is the current estimate for the annual running costs of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.

Sir David Steel: Early estimates of the likely running costs of a Parliament building at Holyrood made in March 1998, produced a figure of around £10 million per annum. These estimates will be refined, as more information on building systems, rateable value and capital charge becomes available.

Holyrood

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what is the current estimate for the total cost of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood and how this compares to the original estimate.

Sir David Steel: The current estimate for the total cost of establishing and equipping the Parliament’s accommodation at Holyrood is £109 million, which can be compared with an original estimate of £90 million.

Holyrood

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what is the breakdown of the costs of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood for –

  the building itself; and,

  transport and associated infrastructure.

Sir David Steel: The current construction cost estimate for the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood is £62 million excluding fees and VAT. No cost estimates have yet been developed for "transport and associated infrastructure".

Scottish Executive

Development

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to initiate a Public Inquiry into the operation and management of the following organisations: (a) Craigmillar Festival Society; (b) Craigmillar Opportunities Trust, and (c) Craigmillar Initiatives.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. I understand however that the City of Edinburgh Council has received a report on the management, structure and role of organisations and projects in Craigmillar. The council is following up points arising from this report.

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the £600 million referred to in the "Partnership for Scotland" agreement for investment in the capital infrastructure of schools does it intend to support Public Private Partnerships.

Peter Peacock: Projects with a capital value of over £400 million have been identified as eligible for revenue support under the "level playing field" arrangements for Public/Private Partnerships. This is on top of the additional expenditure of £185 million for work on school buildings announced following the Comprehensive Spending Review.